Valencia Eyewear

Great store! Phil is very helpful and knowledgeable. The best eyeglass shop in San Francisco.

My eyes have finally reached the point of demanding I wear reading glasses. After 47 years of never needing glasses at all, I decided the new look would have to be hip enough for my artist crowd of friends. Went to the Mission and google mapped and found this place around the corner from Valencia St. Great find! Small and all the glasses are hands-​on accessible so you can try them on without waiting for help. Cool selection. Phil was very helpful and patient. He also explained more about my prescription to me than my ophthalmologist had! I felt like I was in good hands. Check out this spot, you will be in good hands too.

«I’m going to research corrective laser eye surgery»…“I’m going to start wearing contacts for big events — my eye makeup will really Pop!” I swim, I go to the gym, I take spin classes, Salsa dance, snowboard, hit the yoga mat… I’m ACTIVE, I should ditch olde optical wear and get that laser goin’ on!
Yet, I never do. Year in, year out, since I started wearing glasses in 6^th grade, I splurge on frames– metals, plastics, horn rimmed, cat eye, matte, shiny, modernist, warm and familiar, nerdy but fashionable, sexy in that smart girl way. Having never to utter a word, because my frames can say it for me… Yes, on more than a few occasions, guys confess, ‘I dig chicks who wear glasses’.
So…where do I get mine?! Valencia Eyewear!
What’s awesome about tiny boutique Valencia Eyeware is they *only* do sunglasses and glasses. Period. Optometrists are great for telling me what vision reqs I have, checking the health of my eyes, but their frame prices tend to be marked up QUITE a bit. There tends to be no wiggle room or negotiation on prices or combining purchases to get a good deal. Not to say optometrists don’t strike up deals.
I have to get high index plastic and of course anti reflective coating, so frames + lenses can be pricey. Each time, Phil has worked with me in a very flexible manner for each of my purchases– to pay in two installments, building in a discount to combine the purchase of a pair of sunglasses+glasses, or to take a big discount on the lenses of the second pair I buy. Basically he’s willing to work with you so you get what you want! Since I can never choose just ONE, this works well for me!
Very few of the frames are behind glass. I love Self– serve, no one there to pressure and monitor your every move– always a good sign. What’s also cool about this shop is the brands are unique, not designer as in D&G, Gucci, Coach; brands that simply license their logo out– He carries high end brands that are known in the world of optically obsessed folk! La Font, Traction, and frames that are current season collections, but also from maybe a year or 2 ago, so these frames less expensive but very hip and fresh.
His hours are odd for certain; afternoons and evenings are the best time to visit. I sometimes call ahead to check his schedule because I now go out of my way to come to the shop. I highly recommend.

They do great work. I’ve been going for over 6 years. They can even put prescriptions in vintage frames (without harming them). Phil is a good guy to do business with.

Nice selection of frames and good service. The problem is that often the store is closed during what is posted on the door as open hours. Don’t go there without calling first or you will likely find the door locked.

I found Phil to be pleasant and helpful every time I’ve gone. A large selection in a small store, I went thru many till I came upon the one I LOVE. The turn-​around time was quick, and then he made sure they fit my face fixing the angle of the nose pieces till they were just right.

A very petite boutique, this shop has a HUGE selection of fashion-​forward frames. I found Brazilian and European brands not seen at other shops, and found myself trying on at least 20 frames that I could have easily bought. Very reasonably priced.
Phillip who runs the shop gives really attentive service — I wanted to take some pictures of myself in certain frames, and he actually used his own camera and sent me the images via email the same day! And he walked me through the procedure of how to get reimbursement through VSP, as they are outside the network (like most eyewear retail shops). My only complaint is that because it’s a one-​man shop, the hours can be a little variable.
Loved my experience and my new frames!

I really wanted to like this place. It’s a small independent neighborhood joint with a nice collection of hip frames. And it’s right across the street from my house.
Maybe he had been sucking on lemons before I walked in but I just didn’t like the way this guy looked at me. It felt like «what are you doing in my store.» This isn’t Rainbow Grocery. If I’m gonna drop $ 400 beans out of pocket can I at least get a «hello.»
I just felt like an interruption and then I started getting the value-​added hard sell about UV tinting and Transition lenses. I just want a friendly hello and then let me look at frames in peace. Maybe he really didn’t want me in his store and he was trying to get rid of me. It worked.
If you don’t require friendly customer service but are just looking for cool frames, I recommend this place. I think I’ll look around and try to support friendly.

Oh wow… I’ve neglected to give Valencia Eyewear a deserved update until now. Miraculously, I was able to peruse their unique selection one rainy evening and even though I walked away empty handed I was pretty impressed with the owners knowledge and customer service. They don’t take VSP and I’m too broke most of the time to front the money for frames and wait for reimbursement. If I ever do come up with the cash I will definitely be back because these guys deserve the patronage.

For those of us who can’t get to 20 – 20 via Lasix, fashionable eyewear is a must. Valencia Eyewear is a small neighborhood shop with a surprsingly decent selection of frames. I found several fashion forward frames at decent price and when I added tint to the mix I was offered a discount on the complete order. Everything was ready when comitted and I’m loving my new look. Very pleasant experience, 4 stars!